The Perfect Political Satire That’s Exactly What We Need Right Now

By TeeJay Small
| Published 1 hour ago

In these bizarre times, it almost feels like satire is dead. Even South Park has struggled to make sense of American politics and societal trends, with mixed results. If you’re concerned that topical comedy might never be funny ever again, there’s one film that you need to watch today: 2017’s The Death of Stalin.

Despite being a period piece centered on the fall of the Soviet Union’s most enigmatic leader, the movie manages to make some extremely prescient points about unchecked power, lines of succession, and the lack of consequences for wealthy oligarchs.

A True Story, Mostly

The Death of Stalin centers on, well, exactly what it sounds like. The film begins during the final days of Joseph Stalin’s life, as he presides over a nation gripped by fear. Over the course of three decades, Stalin has ruled as a totalitarian dictator, murdering anyone suspected of suspicious activity. In the Soviet leader’s endless paranoia, Stalin has created a council of sycophants who kiss up to him at every turn, each prepared to destroy the others if they dare to step out of line. So, when the supreme leader drops dead in the middle of his private quarters, there’s a massive power vacuum left in his absence.

History buffs will know going in that Nikita Khrushchev (played by Steve Buscemi) is destined to take on the mantle, but this isn’t obvious in the first act. In fact, most of the narrative of The Death of Stalin centers on other real life soviet politicians attempting vain power grabs, all while wrangling Stalin’s insufferable adult children. Though the film takes a lot of liberties to tell the actual true story of the USSR following Stalin’s death, the broad details are generally accurate, including some of the off-the-wall comedic beats. Somehow, The Death of Stalin manages to take this dark and twisted true story, and make it easy to watch, simple to grasp, and laugh-out-loud funny.

Politics Are Funnier In The Rear View

I won’t get too political here, but surely we can all admit that American politics have become a circus in the last decade or so. Whether you love Donald Trump more than life itself, or hate his guts like you’ve never hated anyone before, it’s hard to ignore how unusual things have become.

For that reason, it’s nearly impossible for comedians to lambast our politicians for any one gaffe, blunder, or controversy, as the media cycle struggles to keep up. Does anybody remember the “Covfefe” tweet, or the “little tiny rocket man” comments, or the entire existence of Anthony Scaramucci at this point? The Death of Stalin shows that sometimes, you need to wait for the absurdity to come and go before you make an attempt to comment on it, because you never know what will actually stick in the public consciousness.

The Death Of Stalin Is A Must See Movie

No matter your political leanings, I think The Death of Stalin is an excellent movie that everyone can enjoy. The movie is also based on a French graphic novel of the same name, which is a must-add to the bookshelf of any aspiring political satirist. For those interested in giving this one a spin, The Death of Stalin is currently streaming on Hulu.